Hello. This is me writing again after ages.
This one is about my happy experience of vacationing in the northern state of India, Uttarakhand.
December is a very special month, full of celebrations. One such occasion is my wedding anniversary which is very quickly followed by wife's birthday. We look forward for this month so vacation planning and preparations start two months in advance.
In October we discussed about our preferred locations to travel within India. For us travel is about having unique experience and is usually a mix of adventure, relaxation and having good food. After exploring our choices between Rajasthan and Coorg we settled on a road trip that covers Nainital, Jim Corbett and Mussorie and back to New Delhi.
And so it begins. We started with an early morning flight on 04 Dec from Mumbai to Delhi where our driver friend Satveer paaji was waiting to receive us. It was 05:30 am when we stepped out of the Delhi airport and felt the first cold winds of the North. As we rode towards Nainital via NH9 we saw many of the prominent government buildings of India (more on that later!) And just as we reached Noida we fell asleep from the overnight shift. After few hours of good sleep we found ourselves on our first stop for breakfast somewhere in Ghaziabad. And what did someone say about the food in the North! Oh Boy! That was an amazing paratha dish we had (one of the many) and kullad chai malai-maarke !! We reached our first destination Nainital after 7 hours on road.
DAY 01
The property we had booked was close to the Naini Lake and we had an easy access to the awesome lake. After check-in to hotel we had some rest and then in the evening we went for a stroll on the Mall Road.
Since it was still early December there was no holiday rush and the road was relatively less crowded. We spent the evening eating out the world best pastries at the Sakley's. There is also The Chocolate Room cafe next to Sakley's which has a very good ambience. We also picked up some fancy earmuffs sold on the street side to keep ourselves warm. Winter is coming was no longer a fictional series phrase. At nights we saw temperatures drop to 1deg and I truly felt thankful to the inventors of the heaters. We survived.
DAY 02
After having scheduled breakfast we started the sight seeing at this beautiful city of lakes. We first visited Naukuchiatal and spent few hours doing boating in the serene waters. From there we reached Bhimtal for some photo ops session. This place was famous for aquarium within the lake which is now closed. We reached Sattal meaning 7 co-joined lakes for more photo sessions and get harassed by road side vendors who keep on insisting to show Bulbul ka bacha and what not. We also had a top view glimpse of Khurpatal, the lake that shows reflection of different colors as the season varies. From here we reached to what I think js the highest peak and the coldest point in Nainital. We were at Hanumangarhi, shivering with cold we climbed every step to see temples dedicated to Master God and his Servant God. We returned back to the Mall road for late lunch at Gianni's. We finished the day by taking blessings of Naina Devi at Her temple by the lake side. Such a beautiful evening and a day well spent! (Spent = Shopping by wife !! 😋🤣)
DAY 03
We still had few more places to see and we began with the Snow View Point, Amitabh Bachchan's Boarding School etc. There is an adventure park near by the Snow View Point called Magic Mountains. Stop here for some chai and Maggi and where we also did 5 laps of Go-Karting. This is the first time we both tried and it was lot of fun !! Who won?? (ofcourse me!)
We came back to the hotel and checked out to our next destination for some wild life experience.
Welcome to Jim Corbett !!!
Our first evening safari was scheduled on the same day. We reached the meeting point from where the open Jeep would take us into the forest at Bijarani gate.
We met our guides Shubham and Laik who promised us to give the most memorable safari. And they lived up to their word. After going around the narrow roads of forest, catching the hints from animal behaviors, following the footprints we stopped at the dry river side which had many rocks and a small puddles of water. On the other end there was a herd of deers grazing away at dried leaves, enjoying by themselves. And then we saw some movement behind the grasses where we were waiting. And it came out of the hiding. She is truly the most beautiful and majestic animal in the jungle. The excitement level had reached it's peak. The happiness of seeing a tiger in its own backyard cannot be expressed easily in words (especially what we saw!). This particular Tigress goes by the name Sharmili. She walked a few paces and sat by at the corner watching it's prey enjoying at the other end. Our guide started his engine and slowly took us as close as possible to get the best view of the Tigress. She wasn't interested in humans at this time. She was focused and planning her dinner. Or may be it's just a play thing for her. By now she had decided and she marched silently towards the other end. And then she again cunningly sat back to decieve the deers. This time though the deers had made the eye contact and were alert for all possibilities. Sharmili sprang upon the closest deer but they all escaped. By now all the jeeps in the forest had reached the action zone. The tigress turned it's attention towards us now and started walking ever so gracefully. She was just a few feet away from our jeep looking at me directly while wifey was palpably making the videos. This was surreal. I thanked the Almighty for giving this day and in what seems to me the tigress humbly accepted our gratitude and respect for her and the animal kingdom. After all we are both His creation. She too then bowed and jumped the high wall and walked off again in the jungle. Best. Day. Ever.
DAY 04
Getting up at 4:30 am in winters is what crazy people do. Today we went for morning safari selfishly expecting to see more of the same. Jhirna gate was more expansive than yesterday's and had more variety of animals and birds. We could hear the calls of barking deer on either side of the mountain cliffs. But the tiger shyed away this time. Nevertheless we did see Otter which is also a rare sighting in the forest.
DAY 05 was meant for rest and enjoying the resort facilities.
Eat. Sleep. Repeat.
DAY 06
We checked out of the hotel early to do another morning safari in the most popular Dhikala zone. We saw wild elephants and again lots and lots of deers before exiting out of the Sir Jim Corbett National Park.
After having lunch we started our journey towards the final destination of Mussorie. This long drive took more than 8 hours. It was already dark by 6pm and we had only reached Dehradun. We took a pit stop for snacks and little bit of stretching. Just before ascending the hills of Mussorie, we visited a family owned Shiv temple and the priest of the temple gifted my wife with 'rudrakshas' as birthday blessings.
We reached Mussorie at 9pm and the weather here was worse than what we felt at Nainital. Mussorie known as Queen of Hills left us feeling exhausted and we must have slept off as soon as the back rested against the soft bed and thickly quilted bedsheet.
DAY 07
We had one of the best breaksfasts on the trip at our hotel and then left for sight seeing. Our first stop was at Kempty Falls. The water was freezing cold as we enjoyed the falls by just dipping the legs in the pool like area created by local authorities for public enjoyment.
We then went up to Gun Hill Road and took a gondola cabin ride and took a view of entire Mussorie from the hilltop. We then took a tour of Camel Hump road and Library Bazar where the famous author Ruskin Bond has a bookshop. From there we headed for our lunch at the popular Chick Chocolate Cafe. The cafe has a very modern theme and reference posters of hit TV series and films. Try everything at this cafe.. very good cakes, shakes and pizza. We also wanted to taste the Cheese Omlettes at Lovely Omlettes Center but it was closed on Tuesday. We then headed to Kalsang Chinese corner for some Chinese Momo's and Thupka soup. We filled our bellies and headed back to hotel as the cold was getting unbearable with all the warm wear. On the way we spotted John Abraham who was shooting for his upcoming movie and the crew did not allow any photographs to be taken.
There was still lot of stuff to do and see in Mussorie but hopefully for next time.
DAY 08
We started on the last leg of the trip and were returning back to New Delhi. Our driver Satveer paaji suggested we could do a stop over at Har ki Podi (Feet of Lord Vishnu) at Haridwar. We instantly liked the idea and agreed to it. On reaching Haridwar we dipped into holy river of Ganges and performed a small puja as offering to the God's and ancestors for this life. We reached Delhi around 6pm and settled into hotel.
In evening we went to India Gate, war memorial to pay respect to the martyr soldiers of India. After spending a few hours we returned to the hotel.
DAY 09
The day was dedicated to visit the monuments of historical importance spread across the national capital. (Remember I mentioned about Delhi visit at the beginning of blog.) We had a spiritual experience at Guru Bangla Sahib Gurudwara. The next step was the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the residence of the President of India.
It was an educational tour and we got ourselves an entry inside the Bhavan to see and hear all about 340 rooms, where the national awards are distributed, where the President has his luncheon with the visiting guests of foreign countries, President's family suite, administrative office etc. The different size busts and statues of ex President's added to the glory of the Rashtrapati Bhavan. Outside the Bhavan doors stood the President's security entourage which keeps detailed checks on the visitors. The army staff performs parades and guard the President protocol every day. Red Fort came next in the list, a monument from where we hear Prime Minister of the country give a speech on every Independence Day.
There are markets within the fort area for shopping and eating. Chandni Chowk which is close to the Red Fort is the heart of Delhi. This place is crowded but everything is available here. In terms of shopping it is mainly a haven for ladies. In terms of food the famous Paranthe wali galli is present in this Chowk itself. Some of the popular eating places are Gianni di hatti for chole bature, Baburam paranthe and old famous Jalebi Wala. There is also Khan market for those interested in non veg delicacies. The most common pattern during trip was that after heavy eating we did some heavy duty shopping. There are lots of shops in small lanes of Chandni Chowk catered to women clothing and the designs come in all shapes and sizes.
DAY 10
No visit to Delhi is complete without going to Connaught Place and Sarojini Market. These are 2 upscale markets where branded imported clothes and accessories can be purchased (read bargained) at dirt cheap cost. We finished the Delhi trip by full course lunch at Haldiram's.
The last part is always the hardest one after an exceptionally refreshing vacation. It was time to board the Rajdhani Express and head back to Aamchi Mumbai. The service in the train was excellent and lived up to the reputation.
These 10 days spent in Uttarakhand and Delhi will be cherished forever.
Itinerary | Accommodation Synopsis
Nainital | 3 Days | The Palace Belvedere
Jim Corbett | 3 Days | The Corbett View Resort
Mussorie | 2 Days | Hotel Vishnu Palace
Delhi | 2 Days | Treebo Nataraj Yes Please
Hope this inspired you to take a vacation. Good bye. Until the next travelog !
This one is about my happy experience of vacationing in the northern state of India, Uttarakhand.
December is a very special month, full of celebrations. One such occasion is my wedding anniversary which is very quickly followed by wife's birthday. We look forward for this month so vacation planning and preparations start two months in advance.
In October we discussed about our preferred locations to travel within India. For us travel is about having unique experience and is usually a mix of adventure, relaxation and having good food. After exploring our choices between Rajasthan and Coorg we settled on a road trip that covers Nainital, Jim Corbett and Mussorie and back to New Delhi.
And so it begins. We started with an early morning flight on 04 Dec from Mumbai to Delhi where our driver friend Satveer paaji was waiting to receive us. It was 05:30 am when we stepped out of the Delhi airport and felt the first cold winds of the North. As we rode towards Nainital via NH9 we saw many of the prominent government buildings of India (more on that later!) And just as we reached Noida we fell asleep from the overnight shift. After few hours of good sleep we found ourselves on our first stop for breakfast somewhere in Ghaziabad. And what did someone say about the food in the North! Oh Boy! That was an amazing paratha dish we had (one of the many) and kullad chai malai-maarke !! We reached our first destination Nainital after 7 hours on road.
DAY 01
The property we had booked was close to the Naini Lake and we had an easy access to the awesome lake. After check-in to hotel we had some rest and then in the evening we went for a stroll on the Mall Road.
Since it was still early December there was no holiday rush and the road was relatively less crowded. We spent the evening eating out the world best pastries at the Sakley's. There is also The Chocolate Room cafe next to Sakley's which has a very good ambience. We also picked up some fancy earmuffs sold on the street side to keep ourselves warm. Winter is coming was no longer a fictional series phrase. At nights we saw temperatures drop to 1deg and I truly felt thankful to the inventors of the heaters. We survived.
DAY 02
After having scheduled breakfast we started the sight seeing at this beautiful city of lakes. We first visited Naukuchiatal and spent few hours doing boating in the serene waters. From there we reached Bhimtal for some photo ops session. This place was famous for aquarium within the lake which is now closed. We reached Sattal meaning 7 co-joined lakes for more photo sessions and get harassed by road side vendors who keep on insisting to show Bulbul ka bacha and what not. We also had a top view glimpse of Khurpatal, the lake that shows reflection of different colors as the season varies. From here we reached to what I think js the highest peak and the coldest point in Nainital. We were at Hanumangarhi, shivering with cold we climbed every step to see temples dedicated to Master God and his Servant God. We returned back to the Mall road for late lunch at Gianni's. We finished the day by taking blessings of Naina Devi at Her temple by the lake side. Such a beautiful evening and a day well spent! (Spent = Shopping by wife !! 😋🤣)
DAY 03
We still had few more places to see and we began with the Snow View Point, Amitabh Bachchan's Boarding School etc. There is an adventure park near by the Snow View Point called Magic Mountains. Stop here for some chai and Maggi and where we also did 5 laps of Go-Karting. This is the first time we both tried and it was lot of fun !! Who won?? (ofcourse me!)
We came back to the hotel and checked out to our next destination for some wild life experience.
Welcome to Jim Corbett !!!
Our first evening safari was scheduled on the same day. We reached the meeting point from where the open Jeep would take us into the forest at Bijarani gate.
We met our guides Shubham and Laik who promised us to give the most memorable safari. And they lived up to their word. After going around the narrow roads of forest, catching the hints from animal behaviors, following the footprints we stopped at the dry river side which had many rocks and a small puddles of water. On the other end there was a herd of deers grazing away at dried leaves, enjoying by themselves. And then we saw some movement behind the grasses where we were waiting. And it came out of the hiding. She is truly the most beautiful and majestic animal in the jungle. The excitement level had reached it's peak. The happiness of seeing a tiger in its own backyard cannot be expressed easily in words (especially what we saw!). This particular Tigress goes by the name Sharmili. She walked a few paces and sat by at the corner watching it's prey enjoying at the other end. Our guide started his engine and slowly took us as close as possible to get the best view of the Tigress. She wasn't interested in humans at this time. She was focused and planning her dinner. Or may be it's just a play thing for her. By now she had decided and she marched silently towards the other end. And then she again cunningly sat back to decieve the deers. This time though the deers had made the eye contact and were alert for all possibilities. Sharmili sprang upon the closest deer but they all escaped. By now all the jeeps in the forest had reached the action zone. The tigress turned it's attention towards us now and started walking ever so gracefully. She was just a few feet away from our jeep looking at me directly while wifey was palpably making the videos. This was surreal. I thanked the Almighty for giving this day and in what seems to me the tigress humbly accepted our gratitude and respect for her and the animal kingdom. After all we are both His creation. She too then bowed and jumped the high wall and walked off again in the jungle. Best. Day. Ever.
DAY 04
Getting up at 4:30 am in winters is what crazy people do. Today we went for morning safari selfishly expecting to see more of the same. Jhirna gate was more expansive than yesterday's and had more variety of animals and birds. We could hear the calls of barking deer on either side of the mountain cliffs. But the tiger shyed away this time. Nevertheless we did see Otter which is also a rare sighting in the forest.
DAY 05 was meant for rest and enjoying the resort facilities.
Eat. Sleep. Repeat.
DAY 06
We checked out of the hotel early to do another morning safari in the most popular Dhikala zone. We saw wild elephants and again lots and lots of deers before exiting out of the Sir Jim Corbett National Park.
After having lunch we started our journey towards the final destination of Mussorie. This long drive took more than 8 hours. It was already dark by 6pm and we had only reached Dehradun. We took a pit stop for snacks and little bit of stretching. Just before ascending the hills of Mussorie, we visited a family owned Shiv temple and the priest of the temple gifted my wife with 'rudrakshas' as birthday blessings.
We reached Mussorie at 9pm and the weather here was worse than what we felt at Nainital. Mussorie known as Queen of Hills left us feeling exhausted and we must have slept off as soon as the back rested against the soft bed and thickly quilted bedsheet.
DAY 07
We had one of the best breaksfasts on the trip at our hotel and then left for sight seeing. Our first stop was at Kempty Falls. The water was freezing cold as we enjoyed the falls by just dipping the legs in the pool like area created by local authorities for public enjoyment.
We then went up to Gun Hill Road and took a gondola cabin ride and took a view of entire Mussorie from the hilltop. We then took a tour of Camel Hump road and Library Bazar where the famous author Ruskin Bond has a bookshop. From there we headed for our lunch at the popular Chick Chocolate Cafe. The cafe has a very modern theme and reference posters of hit TV series and films. Try everything at this cafe.. very good cakes, shakes and pizza. We also wanted to taste the Cheese Omlettes at Lovely Omlettes Center but it was closed on Tuesday. We then headed to Kalsang Chinese corner for some Chinese Momo's and Thupka soup. We filled our bellies and headed back to hotel as the cold was getting unbearable with all the warm wear. On the way we spotted John Abraham who was shooting for his upcoming movie and the crew did not allow any photographs to be taken.
There was still lot of stuff to do and see in Mussorie but hopefully for next time.
DAY 08
We started on the last leg of the trip and were returning back to New Delhi. Our driver Satveer paaji suggested we could do a stop over at Har ki Podi (Feet of Lord Vishnu) at Haridwar. We instantly liked the idea and agreed to it. On reaching Haridwar we dipped into holy river of Ganges and performed a small puja as offering to the God's and ancestors for this life. We reached Delhi around 6pm and settled into hotel.
In evening we went to India Gate, war memorial to pay respect to the martyr soldiers of India. After spending a few hours we returned to the hotel.
DAY 09
The day was dedicated to visit the monuments of historical importance spread across the national capital. (Remember I mentioned about Delhi visit at the beginning of blog.) We had a spiritual experience at Guru Bangla Sahib Gurudwara. The next step was the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the residence of the President of India.
It was an educational tour and we got ourselves an entry inside the Bhavan to see and hear all about 340 rooms, where the national awards are distributed, where the President has his luncheon with the visiting guests of foreign countries, President's family suite, administrative office etc. The different size busts and statues of ex President's added to the glory of the Rashtrapati Bhavan. Outside the Bhavan doors stood the President's security entourage which keeps detailed checks on the visitors. The army staff performs parades and guard the President protocol every day. Red Fort came next in the list, a monument from where we hear Prime Minister of the country give a speech on every Independence Day.
There are markets within the fort area for shopping and eating. Chandni Chowk which is close to the Red Fort is the heart of Delhi. This place is crowded but everything is available here. In terms of shopping it is mainly a haven for ladies. In terms of food the famous Paranthe wali galli is present in this Chowk itself. Some of the popular eating places are Gianni di hatti for chole bature, Baburam paranthe and old famous Jalebi Wala. There is also Khan market for those interested in non veg delicacies. The most common pattern during trip was that after heavy eating we did some heavy duty shopping. There are lots of shops in small lanes of Chandni Chowk catered to women clothing and the designs come in all shapes and sizes.
DAY 10
No visit to Delhi is complete without going to Connaught Place and Sarojini Market. These are 2 upscale markets where branded imported clothes and accessories can be purchased (read bargained) at dirt cheap cost. We finished the Delhi trip by full course lunch at Haldiram's.
The last part is always the hardest one after an exceptionally refreshing vacation. It was time to board the Rajdhani Express and head back to Aamchi Mumbai. The service in the train was excellent and lived up to the reputation.
These 10 days spent in Uttarakhand and Delhi will be cherished forever.
Itinerary | Accommodation Synopsis
Nainital | 3 Days | The Palace Belvedere
Jim Corbett | 3 Days | The Corbett View Resort
Mussorie | 2 Days | Hotel Vishnu Palace
Delhi | 2 Days | Treebo Nataraj Yes Please
Hope this inspired you to take a vacation. Good bye. Until the next travelog !
